“They’re going to run the ball with DeMarco (Murray) and they’re going to throw the ball to Dez (Bryant) and (Jason) Witten and the rest of the guys,” Kelly said Thursday in a conference call with the Dallas media. “It’s not like (Orton) is an inexperienced guy.”

But Romo isn’t the only bellcow player from the Cowboys that is expected to be sidelined Sunday night when they face the Eagles in the de facto NFC East title game. Middle linebacker Sean Lee, the man Dallas owner Jerry Jones likes to call “the quarterback of the defense,” is also ailing.

And judging from Lee’s monster performance in Dallas’ 17-3 win at Philadelphia in October, that might be a bigger loss for the Cowboys’ than the absence of Romo.

“It’s a big loss,” Kelly said. “Sean has got to be one of the top linebackers in this league. I think I saw in nine games he had 99 tackles and four interceptions. I know in our game, up close and personal, I saw him just running from sideline to sideline making play after play.

“He does such a good job recognizing his keys and diagnosing plays and he’s just an outstanding football player.”

Indeed, Lee was dominant in this season’s first meeting between the longtime NFC East rivals, recording 12 tackles, including one for loss, an interception, a pass defended and a quarterback pressure to garner NFC defensive player of the week honors.

Add it all up, and the Penn State alumnus was a big reason why the Cowboys were able to limit NFL rushing leader LeSean McCoy to 55 yards on 18 carries.

Bottom line: Lee’s play probably had more to do with the Cowboys winning than Romo completing 28-of-47 passes for 317 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions at wind-swept Lincoln Financial Field.

So without their best defensive player this time around doesn’t McCoy, who has 1,476 rushing yards, run wild?

“The Cowboys have to take away the Eagles’ number one weapon, LeSean McCoy,” NBC analyst Rodney Harrison said in an NBC release. “You have to stop the run. He is so tremendous and versatile.”